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Nelson Poirier

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Well folks, just when you think those days simply can't get any shorter, you're exactly right!

Enlarge Photo

NELSON POIRIER/times & transcrip

This image of the sun rising was taken this week at 8:20 a.m.. Most of us now are up and about ahead of the sun, however starting tomorrow, that gradual change will start in the other direction.

All that is about to change as of tomorrow, Dec. 21, at 8:04 a.m. when the Winter Solstice occurs. There will not be any fireworks or distinctive announcements that will tell us it's happened as expected; however, it will indeed happen just as it has done for centuries.

At 8:04 a.m. tomorrow, the sun will end its annual journey south and begin returning north. Yes, tonight will be the longest night of the year for 2008 however, it signals some very major changes that are about to happen. As of Monday, Dec. 22, we will be able to greet the sun just a bit earlier in the morning and bid adieu just a bit later in the evening (with variation). This does signal the beginning of winter in our Northern Hemisphere, however, if you happen to live in the Southern Hemisphere, it marks the beginning of summer.

This line the sun follows is called the ecliptic. Being a good dobee, planet Earth, as well as all the other planets, dutifully follows the sun in its ecliptic. In fact, we have no choice. The Winter Solstice is the day when we in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth receive the smallest share of the sun's radiation. It is not of course the coldest day of the year since the Earth still retains some of summer's warmth. The coldest starry nights will be reserved for January and February.

All these solar system shenanigans affect our sunrise and sunset locations. We often think of the sun as rising in the East and setting in the West and for much of the year that is true. However, you may have noted these days the sun is rising in the southeast which is to be extracted now. However, tomorrow, when the sun stops its journey southward, we will start to notice a gradual movement of the sunrise moving back towards the East.

It may seem odd that at this time the earth is actually closer to the sun that it is in the summer. However, as the earth tilts at an angle of 23 and a half degrees to the sun as we travel on the ecliptic path, we get less solar exposure even though we are indeed closer.

So is it just by chance we celebrate Christmas a mere four days after the Winter Solstice? Well, yes and no.

No doubt St. Nick appreciates taking advantage of that longer night to get all those deliveries completed, however, the real reason we celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 is to celebrate the birth of Christ.

And that begs the question of whether or not the birth of Christ was just after the Winter Solstice. The answer is, well, possibly not.

In early Roman times, before the advent of Christianity, the Roman pagans were very aware of the phenomenon of the nights becoming longer at this time of year. They began a celebration of light at this time of year by using fire to light the sky. As Christianity evolved and the apostles were spreading the word of the Messiah, the birth of Christianity in Rome wanted to celebrate the birth of the Messiah, being a major light in the Christian calendar.

Over the years, the time after the pagan celebration of light was chosen as a time to celebrate the birth of Christ. The early Roman Christians felt the pagan custom of the celebration of light was possibly a good time to celebrate the symbolic birth of Christ. The true birthday of Christ was never established for certain, however, the timing for celebration and veneration of the event was appropriate and therefore the celebration of Christmas has continued for almost 2,000 years just after the Winter Solstice.

Today, we know from the information passed on by our ancestors and sprinkled with lots of new knowledge still very much being learned, that daylight will increase in length starting on or about Dec. 21. However, reflect on ancient times when that was not a known certainty. It was a dreaded time of year when diminishing light and heat and a limited supply of food spelled danger. This led to many customs that asked the gods to stop this process of diminishing light and heat. Needless to say, when the requests and intercessions were answered, there were thankful celebrations. Indeed, there are more known rituals associated with the Winter Solstice than any other time of year. The date became so traditional that it was retained through calendar reforms. As mentioned earlier, Christians also accepted this as the date to celebrate the birth of Jesus, when they recall the story of the brilliant star that lit the sky to become a symbol of life over death, just as light always strengthens following the passage of the Winter Solstice.

Modern science points to a mental disorder now officially recognized as SAD or seasonal affective disorder, which results in moodiness and depression during the winter months due to the lack of light. Indeed, the use of artificial light is the only known treatment for SAD. That big light switch to ON starting tomorrow must undoubtedly be medicinal as well!

After tomorrow, the light slowly begins its inevitable return and the days begin to grow pleasingly longer flipping the switch to ON for the inevitable countdown to spring. We're on a roll, starting tomorrow!

Happy Winter Solstice and bring on the light.

* Nelson Poirier, from the Moncton area, is a veterinarian by trade and a naturalist by nature. His column appears each Saturday and he can be reached at P.O. Box 25091, Moncton, N.B. E1C 9M9 or e-mail nelson@nb.sympatico.ca.